Berlin World Cinema Fund comes to SA

At the same time, they will also launch the Berlin World Cinema Fund in South Africa. This fund is an initiative of the Berlinale. It will swell funding sources for filmmakers in developing countries in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia.

A pool of 500,000 Euros will be distributed annually to support feature films or creative full-length documentaries from these regions. The Fund promises to recognise and reward applicants who submit work with "a strong cultural identity". They will also help to strengthen the profile of these films in German cinemas.

South African production companies who are promoting their own directing talent, or German companies using a local director, could be in line for grants of up to 100,000 Euros for a project in the 200,000 to 1 million Euro range. Successful applicants are eligible for a disbursement of a further 15,000 Euros for distributing product in Germany. Applicants can go to the website: www.berlinale.de and check for links to the World Cinema Fund.

Source: Shitengi Newsletter